By Aliss HighamShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberShoppers in California will no longer be able to get plastic bags for their shopping starting in 2026.
The measure, passed by state lawmakers in 2024, eliminates all plastic shopping bags on offer in stores beginning in 2026. Shoppers who arrive without their own bags will instead be offered a paper bag upon request.
"SB 1053 places new restrictions on the types of bags distributed at the point of sale by most grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts and liquor stores," according to the CalRecycle website.
Why It Matters
Plastic bags are harmful to the environment because they are made from fossil fuels, take hundreds of years to breakdown, and often end up as litter in waterways, oceans, and natural habitats. Once discarded, they can injure or kill wildlife that mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
As they degrade, plastic bags break into microplastics that contaminate soil and water, entering the food chain and threatening ecosystems and human health. Their widespread use and low recycling rates mean they accumulate rapidly, contributing significantly to pollution and environmental damage.
What To Know
While the plastic bag ban was approved last year, the final stage of implementation will begin on January 1.
State Senator Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat and one of the bill’s supporters, at the time pointed to a state study that found that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed per person grew from 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) per year in 2004 to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) per year in 2021.
...What People Are Saying
Jenn Engstrom, director of the California Public Interest Research Group, said in 2024: "Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health. Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo. With the governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all."
LA County Public Works said in an information memo about plastic bags: "The average bag you pick up at the grocery store, or carry your takeout in, has a life span of about 12 minutes. When discarded, they clog sewage and storm drains, entangle and kill an estimated 100,000 marine mammals every year, and degenerate into toxic microplastics that fester in our oceans and landfills for up to 1,000 years."
What Happens Next
The law comes into force on January 1.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
NewsTrump May Defeat Maduro Without Battle and Lose War in Venezuela14 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Trans Book Bans Often Backfire—On Their Creators5 min read
NewsUrgent Tornado Warning Issued, Severe Storms Threaten Mississippi, Louisiana: Live Updates1 min read
NewsWoman Faces Deportation After Allegedly Throwing Coffee on Baby3 min read
NewsPrice Correction ‘Worse Than 2008’ Coming To US Housing Market—Analyst5 min read
WorldTrump Caught in China’s Flashpoint Dispute With Key US Ally4 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
WorldTrump Peace Plan: Ukraine Agrees To ‘Core Terms’, Russia Launches Major Attack—Live Updates3 min readNewsUncommon Knowledge: Trans Book Bans Often Backfire—On Their Creators5 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: A Wicked Box Office Success and the US Movie Business5 min read
NewsTrump Canceling GDP Report Comes Under Scrutiny3 min read
Live BlogThanksgiving Travel Live Updates: Winter Storm Threatens Record Travel, Flight Tracker, Forecasts2 min read
NewsFBI Interviewing Democrats Trump Has Called ‘Seditious’1 min readTrending
National Weather ServiceWinter Storm Alert Issued as 12 Inches of Snow Set To Hit3 min read
Higher EducationFull List of Degrees Not Classed As ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin8 min read
MoneyNew ‘Cash Law’ Could Change Grocery Store Rules3 min read
LawsuitCampbell’s Soup VP Mocks ‘Poor People’ Who Buy Its Food in Secret Recording6 min read
ThanksgivingHome Depot Responds to Thanksgiving Boycott5 min readOpinion
OpinionGOP Rep.: The U.S. Must Close Critical AI Chip Export Loophole Exploited by China | Opinion5 min read
OpinionAgriculture Secretary: Giving Thanks to the American Farmer This Thanksgiving | Opinion4 min read
OpinionFormer White House Middle East Envoy: What We Keep Getting Wrong About the UAE and Sudan | Opinion5 min read
OpinionGovernment-Mandated Affordability—Music to Consumer Ears | Opinion6 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: Ukraine Peace Plan Edition2 min read
